A Description of the Assessment Practices of Teachers Who Have Begun to Implement the Instructional Practices Suggested in the NCTM Standards Documents.

Edgerton, Richard T.

The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) recently published two documents, "Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics" (1989) and "Professional Standards for Teaching Mathematics" (1991), (the "Standards Documents"), that recommend departure from conventional forms of instruction and assessment. This paper presents four case studies of teachers who were known to have begun implementation of the instructional practices suggested by the NCTM "Standards Documents" in order to profile their instructional and assessment practices. The teachers were nominated by local-area school district mathematics coordinators and the state mathematics supervisor. Interviews, observations, and collections of teacher-used materials provided information about the two types of practices. Analysis of the data produced several findings. All the teachers recalled some event in their professional past that was instrumental in changing their instructional and assessment practices. Instructional practices among the four teachers was diverse. Three teachers utilized a lecture/expository approach as the primary mode of instruction, while at the same time applying portions of the "Standards Documents." Each teacher had an instructional focus. One frequently used manipulatives, one used a curriculum that emphasized computer-assisted student explorations, one assigned projects by which students gained understanding, and one used a constructivist-learning approach. Teachers assessment practices were consistent with their teaching practices, and were used for grading purposes in three out of four cases. Each teacher articulated a desire to change their assessment practices, but felt constrained by time, lack of collegial contact, and curricular demands. (MDH)